Trace-buckle.



W. W. WBLGH.

TRACE BUCKLE.

APPLICATION FILED D130. 10, 1909.

Patented June 21,1910.

cu. FHDTD-UTHOGRAPNERS. WASNNGTUN n c WILLIAM W. WELCI-I, OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ROBERT II. MoCULLOCI-I, OF IBEEIBE, ARKANSAS.

TRACE-BUCKLE.

Application filed December 10, 1909.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 21, 1910.

Serial No. 532,413.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. WELCH, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Jackson, county of Hinds, State of Mississippi, United States of America, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trace-Buckles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to trace buckles and has for its object to simplify and expedite the connection and adjustment of the trace to the trace-tug, said connection and adjust ment being effected without the necessity of bending the trace which is as is well known, invariably extremely stiff and rigid and therefore diflicult to bend under the end piece of a buckle a retaining strap or the chape on the trace-tug.

The invention consists in details of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more particularly set forth in the specification and specified in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved buckle illustrating the manner in which the trace and trace-tug are assembled, the locking plate being raised. Fig. 2 is a side view of said parts with the locking plate in closed position and Fig. 3 is a bottom view with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 2.

In said drawing, 1 designates the forward end of a trace and 2 the rear end of a trace tug. The buckle for connecting said parts consists of a locking plate 3 having longitudinal perpendicular side flanges 4, 4, which are formed at their front ends into a loop 5 by means of which said plate is permanently hinged to the rear end of the trace-tug by passing the end of the tug through the loop and then sewing or riveting the end in the usual and well known manner. The sides of the loop are curved downward so as to permit the inner face of the plate to lie in substantially the same plane as the top of the trace which lies outside the trace-tug. The rear ends of said flanges taper to the plate to conform to the contour of a cooperating frame. This frame is composed of side-bars 6, end bars 7 and intermediate cross bars 8 and is connected at one end with the plate 3 by the front end bar 7, the side bars 6 being slightly spread apart at their front end to permit the loop 5 to lie between them. The remaining portions of said side bars lie directly under the flanges 4, 4, and have a longitudinal groove or rabbet 9 to receive the edges of said flanges. The rear ends of the side-bars are curved to conform to the tapering ends of the flanges so that the rear end bar will lie flush with the under face of the plate 3 and above the top surface of the trace 1.

Lugs or pins 10, 10 formed integral with the plate 3 project perpendicular from the inner face thereof and beyond the flange 4 to take into the usual holes provided in the trace. It will thus beseen that when the plate 3 lies in the position shown in Fig. 1 a trace may without bending be passed under the rear end bar 7 of the frame and through the loop 5 and a chape 11 which latter is usually provided for the end of the trace. This feature of my invention is a very im portant one as it is Well known how diflicult it is to bend a stiff trace. Vhen the front end of the trace has been pushed through the frame as above described the plate 3 may be brought into its locking position either by pressing on the plate or by exerting a rear- Ward pull on the frame in which latter case the front end bar 7 engages the sides of the loop, which act as cams. The rear end of the plate is preferably provided with a raised portion or lip 12 to permit the insertion of a small tool thereunder when the rear end bar 7 will act as a fulcrum in prying the plate away from the trace.

The buckle is extremely simple consisting only of two parts which are readily assembled before the trace-tug is secured through the loop. As the height of the side flanges 4 is greater than the length of the spread portion of the side bars, the frame cannot slip over the plate and become lost.

I claim The combination with a trace, and a tracetug, of a locking member comprising a plate having longitudinal side flanges tapered at their rear ends and formed at their forward ends into an offset loop to receive the tracetug and trace, pins projecting from the inner face of the plate taking into holes in the trace, and a pinless frame comprising end bars lying above and below the trace tion of the side bars for the purpose specirespeetively and side bars conforming to the contour of the major portion of the side flanges and spread apart at their front ends to embrace the loop ortion of the flanges, said side bars each ormed with a rabbet along its length, the remaining portion of said flanges resting on the rabbets on the side bars, the height of the flanges being 10 greater than the length of the spread por- In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my lnventlon, I have slgned my name 1n presence of tWo subscribmg Witnesses.

WILLIAM W. WELCH.

Witnesses:

HERBERT LEVY, A. R. JACK. 

